10th Assembly: I Will Not Be A Rubber-Stamp Speaker – Abbas

A candidate for the Speaker position in the House of Representatives for the upcoming 10th Assembly, Tajudeen Abbas has pledged not to lead a rubber-stamp parliament if elected.

Abbas, a representative from Zaria, Kaduna State, is said to be supported by both President-elect, Bola Tinubu and his party.

During a Channels TV interview, Abbas addressed questions about his perceived weakness.

He said, “What makes them think that I am weak? The fact that you don’t come out to insult anybody? The fact that you are a team player; you play along with everyone, you live along with everyone in the House? You don’t have enemies, you have only friends. The fact that you contribute more than any other member in the 9th Assembly? That you are qualified based on public and private sector experience? Does that make me weak?

“Look, what people need to understand is to go and look at the pedigree and antecedents of each and every member. The issue of being rubber stamp is neither here nor there. If you recall in 2019, was it not the president-elect then, Muhammadu Buhari, that pushed for Femi and the Senate President, Lawan, to become the candidates of the party? Are we saying today, after almost four years that those people are the rubber stamps of the Executive? No.”

Abbas highlighted his extensive experience in both the public and private sectors as evidence of his qualifications for the role.

He also pointed out that, despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s support for Femi Gbabiamila and Ahmad Lawan in 2019, they have not become rubber stamps of the Executive in their four years of service.